*** README FILE
*** Welfare Activation and Youth Crime
*** by Bernt Bratsberg, �ystein Hern�s, Simen Markussen, Oddbj�rn Raaum, and Knut R�ed
*** The Ragnar Frisch Centre for Economic Research
*** Published in the Review of Economics and Statistics

 
1. Data access, individual outcome data 

The individual records used in the analysis are drawn from Norwegian administrative registers. Statistics Norway provides microdata for research projects, and has data relating to persons, establishments and enterprises. The step-by-step procedure for obtaining micro data is described at https://www.ssb.no/en/omssb/tjenester-og-verktoy/data-til-forskning. The important steps for access are:

a. Researchers can gain access to the data by submitting a written application to Statistics Norway. 
b. Data access is given to researchers affiliated with an officially approved research institution/university, based on application. 
c. For the data used in the present study, a recommendation from the institution's Data Protection Officer is needed before the application can be submitted. (There is no need for permits from the Regional Committees for Medical and Health Research Ethics (REC) or from The Norwegian Data Protection Authority as all data sources are supplied by Statistics Norway and access will be granted by Statistics Norway directly.)
d. In order to be able to submit the data access application, the project must be approved and have a project description. The application should include a detailed research proposal describing the goals and methods of the project, a detailed list of variables, the selection criteria to be used, and how the research will be funded.
e. The application form and attachments should be submitted to mikrodata@ssb.no

2. Programs

The code for generating the micro data used in the present study is given in the accompanying stata do-file MS20238_data.txt and the code for generating regression results in the stata do-file MS20238_regressions.txt.

3. Municipal reform data

The accompanying stata data file, MS20238_vilkaar_data.dta, contains a record for each of the municipalities included in the Telemark Research Institute survey (Brandtz�g et al., 2006), and, for the municipalities that reformed their social assistance activation requirements during the 1994-2004 period, the year of the reform. 

Reference:

Brandtz�g, B., Flermoen, S., Lunder, T.E., L�yland, K., M�ller, G., and Sannes, J. (2006) Fastsetting av Satser, Utm�ling av �konomisk Sosialhjelp og Vilk�rsbruk i Sosialtjenesten. Rapport nr. 232, Telemarksforskning-B�.

